Forums can be a fun way of connecting with people who have the same passions you do.
So, I am delighted that the Tech Wizards at b5 have now set  up all kinds of forums for us.
There is now a forum
for crafty folk- so
the friends of
Hankering for Yarn
can now connect
directly to each other
and to me
and to other folks
who read and write for b5 media.
It’s easy to post questions and chat with other yarn-o-philes.
See the ‘Community’ tab at the top of the page?
Click that.
Then, when you see ‘Crafting’ pop up, click it.
Feel free to respond to any of the topics that are …read more

I belong to a neat little group of artsy bloggers and once a week we share links.
I love checking out what everyone has been doing each week. Hope you’ll check them out, too!

10 Reasons to Photograph Your Quilts
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork lists ten reasons for preserving your quilts with photographs…this can apply to other crafts, too.
Doll Festival for Girl’s Day
March 3 was Girl’s Day in Japan. It’s time for little girls to be celebrated and wished good health, and all good things. Traditionally a gorgeous display of heirloom dolls is arranged for the Doll …read more

Every now and then, you come across something so delightful and useful — and you find out it’s free to boot, to make it even more amazing. That’s how I feel about the blog, The Walker Treasury Project.
This blog features a neverending stream of pattern swatches from Barbara Walker’s treasuries, all submitted by knitters who want to share how a particular pattern looks in living color (since many of the photos in the treasuries are in black-and-white). There are guidelines to sharing a swatch, so be sure to read all of the posted information if you want to get involved.
The …read more

Here are some great holiday-related posts from this past week around b5media’s Lifestyle channel. In case you’re looking for other cool blogs to check out (whether artsy, crafty, all about home, etc.), read on:
Kettle & Cup asks if Starbucks Limited Edition is worth $26 a pound. (I love coffee, so it’s tough for me to say no!)
All Holiday Cafe spills the beans on what happens when kids make their own gingerbread house kits (what happens is cuteness)
Jewelry and Beading has a neat post on how to make rosary beads
Tangled Thread shares how she made her own Christmas ornaments and sewed sequins on for finishing
And She …read more

If you have your own blog or Flickr page, you might want to take better photos. There are a ton of knitting blogs out there and some of the most popular and memorable contain gorgeous photography.
Light is a big factor in taking great pictures, but you can’t always rely on natural sunlight. What if you have a rainy week? What if you don’t get home to take photos until it’s dark?
I found this tutorial on how to take detailed photos of your knitting. It shows you how to make a lightbox and how to use your camera to your best …read more

When Ravelry hit the craft scene, it caused a sensation. There was some controversy (it was “clique-y”, why did you have to be invited in, etc.), but it has definitely changed the online world of knitting and crocheting.
While there was some buzzing that Ravelry led to the demise of some craft blogs, that may have happened to some bloggers anyway. Blogging is still evolving, after all. What Ravelry did kill for me was my knitting journal.
A few years back, I bought this nifty little journal and I treated it like my knitting diary of sorts. I recorded what I wanted to …read more